Washington Football Team’s head coach Ron Rivera hopped on the microphone on Wednesday morning for the first time since February and discussed the upcoming free agency period in the NFL and what the team’s thought process was when placing the franchise tag on RG Brandon Scherff for the second-straight season.
Rivera also talked about who they are targeting in free agency, and what the mindset of the team is entering such a big period in their rebuild, making a note that they don’t want to screw this up and have to do it all over again in a few years. Here are some of Rivera’s top quotes from the press conference:
In advance of free agency, Ron Rivera says Washington is "not desperate." His focus is building his team for the long haul and do it "the right way" even with $$ to spend
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) March 10, 2021
Rivera on the QB situation: "We're going to continue to look. … We still have time and we're going to continue to explore all the options that are out there. I get it, you guys want answers. But we don't have answers for you."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera, addressing the media for the first time since Feb., said that his mindset in approaching free agency is "We're not desperate."
He reiterated the team wants to have a sustainable, winning culture.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) March 10, 2021
Rivera is asked about the quarterback plan. Emphasizes time is on their side. "We don't have answers for you right now."
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera: "We don't want to put ourselves in a position when we have to start all over again in a year or two."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera, as he's said many times, emphasizes he won't take "one big shot," but is aiming to build a sustainable winner. pic.twitter.com/8pcIXRAZu1
— michael phillips (@michaelpRTD) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera: "If the "franchise guy" isn't out there, we're going to go with the guys that we believe give us a chance to win."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera on free agency – "We have a couple of guys we'd love to be able to get, immediately"
(Editor note – big swings coming)
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera on free agency: "You want to be able to say, 'This is our franchise quarterback,' but you don't know that until he starts playing." He added the team could have "quarterbackS" compete next year. He reiterated they'll be patient.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) March 10, 2021
Speaking on Brandon Scherff, Ron Rivera said it be nice to work out a long-term deal with him. They just don't know just yet. They wanted to show that they have an interest in keeping their own.
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera, asked ab RG Brandon Scherff, said he'd like to work out a long-term deal but that the team needs to consider the long-term vision.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera says one of the thing that he struggled with everyday was putting him out there and if he got hurt, he'd be the coach who put him out there. That was something he thought about, and he told Smith that in their conversation
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera admits he struggled with this Alex Smith-related thought "every day": "It was always in the back of my head: What if he gets hurt again? … I’m going to be the guy that put him back on the field”
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera on Alex Smith: "He'll get an opportunity to play again."
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) March 10, 2021
Ron Rivera on Alex Smith's comments in GQ: "To be honest with you, I don't disagree with a lot of the things he said." … Said he told Smith he was scared to let him play after seeing what he went through. Characterized their convo as "positive."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) March 10, 2021
